The Mana World Forums

Alright. I'll post some images when I get back from school today. I'll simply edit this post...

Hm, that 3-frame version doesn't look bad at all.

Modanung wrote:Hm, that 3-frame version doesn't look bad at all.

Glad you agree. Always happy to help. If you like I can get a better-quality version (eventually) by tweaking the legs and feet.

5th (and possibly final) reiteration:



I modified the legs heavily on all except the first frame, thus hopefully giving it a smoother and overall better feel. Note this is still a rough mockup so things like final polishing and antialiasing have yet to be done.

Oh and.. here's how it looks with a sword:



My friend Curly created a better blur. Here it is:



And how it would look in action...

Falchions aren't used like that. The curve needs to be facing the other way. Now, if it were a Falcata, then the way it's swung would make sense.

Falcata wrote:Falchions aren't used like that. The curve needs to be facing the other way. Now, if it were a Falcata, then the way it's swung would make sense.

And the purpose for the useless hunk of metal at the tip is...?

Either way, it was just a mock-up, so naturally it isn't final. We should keep in mind the correct positioning of the sword when we finally do implement it though.

I'm guessing for looks. A real sword built and used like that would break after a few uses, because it's essentially being used like a pick.

Pauan wrote: And the purpose for the useless hunk of metal at the tip is...?

To add weight to the end of the weapon. It is only sharp on the one side, and is designed to be used kind of like a battle axe. Of course if someone gets in the way of the back of your sword...
-Cosmostrator

We are talking about fantasy here. The only rule that determines the efficiency of equipment is the rule of cool. Every gimmic that makes a weapon look cooler also makes it deadlier, no matter if it would have the opposite effect in real life.

Regarding this animation: It didn't look that way with the "green line" sword, but with the real sword graphic in there I am really missing another animation phase during the swing.

Crush wrote:We are talking about a fantasy here. The only rule that determines the efficiency of a weapon is the rule of cool.

Regarding this animation: It didn't look that way with the "green line" sword, but with the real sword graphic in there I am really missing another animation phase during the swing.

Optical illusion. It's because of the weapon. In the green lightsaber animation, he first holds it sideways, then diagonal, SLICE! However, in the real sword one, the sword is always diagonal. If you look closely at the person, you will see the frames are identical. The reason is simple: I copied one of the swords found in the Icons folder. I then rotated it to fit into the animation. If it were the actual weapon sprite, I would have made a second horizontal image to go along with it.

P.S. That is true. But for a different reason than you listed. Even fantasies have a basis in reality. However, your "rule of cool" still applies. This is a videogame, and as such the only thing that matters is the player. If the player thinks this game is cool and fun, then we have succeeded. But if the player thinks it's lame or boring, we have failed. That is our goal. A master swordsmith can argue all day about the integrity of the blade and how ineffecient it is, but the player honestly doesn't know or care. If a player saw that blade, they would logically think the pointy end is in front. After all, doesn't it resemble a miniature scythe? Thinking of it from a player's perspective, it makes perfect sense. The small hook could be used to slice somebody's head off, for instance. Sure it may not make sense in the real world, but it makes perfect sense to the player, who ultimately is all that matters to a game developer. Realism only becomes a factor if it affects the fun that the player will have.

His head does sort of snap over a bit fast in the 3-framer.. .. I think his head and body are moving just a tad too far to the right, during the follow-through. I think 3-frames will work, but that snapping effect might need to be fixed.

dabe wrote:His head does sort of snap over a bit fast in the 3-framer.. .. I think his head and body are moving just a tad too far to the right, during the follow-through. I think 3-frames will work, but that snapping effect might need to be fixed.

I will concede on the beginning stages, however I feel the slice is quite fine. The point of it is to have a certain snap to it. The attack should feel powerful, like he is trying to slice something in two. If I made it smoother it might look nicer, but it would lose that power behind it. Regardless, when I do the final tweaking, I will consider making the "snap" a little less.

Don't get me wrong, it's definitely an improvement since the beginning of the thread. On a different note, it'd be neat if we could have more than one slice motion.. .. if that doesn't happen because of the usual exponential workload problem, maybe this slice animation can be reused in reverse, as a second slice in a 2hit combo. (like, you press the attack button and hold it, after the slice your action bar recharges at an increased rate and when it finishes, you let go of the attack button to perform the backhand-slice, or whatever it'd be called. All of that would happen pretty fast.

I know went off-topic, but it was partially about the slice animation.

dabe wrote:Don't get me wrong, it's definitely an improvement since the beginning of the thread. On a different note, it'd be neat if we could have more than one slice motion.. .. if that doesn't happen because of the usual exponential workload problem, maybe this slice animation can be reused in reverse, as a second slice in a 2hit combo. (like, you press the attack button and hold it, after the slice your action bar recharges at an increased rate and when it finishes, you let go of the attack button to perform the backhand-slice, or whatever it'd be called. All of that would happen pretty fast.

I know went off-topic, but it was partially about the slice animation.

Actually.. the blurring motion will be stored as a separate animation. It should be no problem at all to have several, perhaps randomized or tied to different weapons. Likewise the dynamic coloring system could change the color based upon the weapon being used, etc. Actually, the 3-frame animation is so generic it can be used for more than even swords...! I'm sure in the future we'll find many nice creative ways to use it.

OH! You probably meant a whole new animation. Well in that case.. hrm. My friend Curly did some experiments and he says you can use the same animation, but change the blur to indicate any direction you want. I'll have to look into it, but if he's right it should be a piece of cake to do that back-hand thing.

Pauan wrote:My friend Curly created a better blur. Here it is:

This blur is against the reason I made the attack frames the way they are. The whole idea was that the weapon passes through the entire area of attack.
Also I now see some changes in the legs which make the character's movement look odd. His legs became quite stiff and slide over the ground.
I agree with Cosmotrator's point though; the back leg should stay put, not the front one. I'll look into it, but first I need some sleep.